REE, Mn, Fe, Mg and C, O Isotopic Geochemistry of Calcites from Furong Tin Deposit, South China: Evidence for the Genesis of the Hydrothermal Ore-forming Fluids

The Furong tin deposit in the central Nanling region, South China, consists of three main types of mineralization ores, i.e. skarn-, altered granite- and greisen-type ores, hosted in Carboniferous and Permian strata and Mesozoic granitic intrusions. Calcite is the dominant gangue mineral intergrown with ore bodies in the orefield. We have carried out REE, Mn, Fe, and Mg geochemical and C, and O isotopic studies on calcites to constrain the source and evolution of the ore-forming fluids. The calcites from the Furong deposit exhibit middle negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*= 0.311–0.921), except for one which has an Eu/Eu* of 1.10, with the total REE content of 5.49–133 ppm. The results show that the calcites are characterized by two types of REE distribution patterns: a LREE-enriched pattern and a flat REE pattern. The LREE-enriched pattern of calcites accompanying greisen-type ore and skarn-type ore are similar to those of Qitianling granite. The REE, Mn, Fe, and Mg abundances of calcites exhibit a decreasing tendency from granite rock mass to wall rock, i.e. these abundances of calcites associated with altered granite-type and greisen-type ores are higher than those associated with skarn-type ores. The calcites from primary ores in the Furong deposit show large variation in carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of calcites are ?0.4 to ?12.7‰ and 2.8 to 16.4‰, respectively, and mainly fall within the range between mantle or magmatic carbon and marine carbonate. The calcites from greisen and altered granite ores in the Furong deposit display a negative correlation in the diagram of δ¹³C versus δ¹⁸O, probably owing to the CO₂-degassing of the ore-forming fluids. From the intrusion to wall-rock, the calcites display an increasing tendency with respect to δ¹³C values. This implies that the carbon isotopic compositions of the ore-bearing fluids have progressively changed from domination by magmatic carbon to sedimentary carbonate carbon. In combination with other geological and geochemical data, we suggest that the ore-forming fluids represent magmatic origin. We believe that the fluids exsolved from fractionation of the granitic magma, accompanying magmatism of the Qitianling granite complex, were involved in the mineralization of the Furong tin polymetallic deposit.